It was great to see the improvements to US government policy in adopting web 2.0 technologies. I’ve already blogged several of the changes from the new administration to allow more 2.0 technology to be used by government.
I was also heartened to see that the US “Army has ordered its network managers to give soldiers access to social media sites like Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter, etc. … That move reverses a years-long trend of blocking the web 2.0 locales on military networks.”
Quite a few sites will still be blocked (like YouTube – don’t want the soldiers seeing their kids at play) but it’s a step in the right direction.
On a related note, NASA has started a social networking site for employees:For NASA Employees, It’s “Spacebook” Not Facebook
The posting above outlines how many folks have to be involved to get something innovative like this off the ground.
Stephen

The US Army and the US Airforce are also investigating using Second Life for training. A bit of progress!
Some of the concerns with allowing the social networking software is security issues. All software must go through a rigorous process before it is allowed on the military computers. This delays adaption quite a bit.
It is heartening to hear that many social networking sites will become available.

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About The Author

Stephen Abram is a librarian and principal with Lighthouse Consulting Inc., and executive director of the Federation of Ontario Public Libraries. He blogs on library strategies for direction, marketing, technology and user alignment.